District Man Convicted of Second-Degree Murder While Armed
And Other Charges in 2009 Slaying in Northwest Washington-Defendant Attacked Victim in Parking Lot-

WASHINGTON – Luel Hayes, 43, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today of second-degree murder while armed and related weapons offenses stemming from a 2009 slaying in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Ronna L. Beck scheduled sentencing for Feb. 8, 2013. Hayes faces up to 50 years in prison.

According to the government’s evidence at trial, Hayes shot and killed the victim, Rahiem Moore, 37, at about 9:35 p.m. on June 10, 2009. Before the murder, Hayes, who was angry with Mr. Moore over an earlier dispute, lay in wait by Mr. Moore’s parked car in a lot behind 1310 Columbia Road NW. Once Mr. Moore appeared, Hayes shot him five times in the dark parking lot. He left Mr. Moore to die face down, next to his car.

Although there were no eyewitnesses to the shooting, Hayes told several people about the murder of Mr. Moore, who also was known as “Spot.” They included a teenage girl, who he sexually assaulted in 2009. After that attack, Hayes allegedly said, “If you tell, you already know, I killed somebody named Spot.” Hayes has been charged with first-degree child sexual abuse in the attack on the girl, and that case remains pending.

In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives, officers, and mobile crime technicians who investigated the case. He also expressed appreciation to the forensic documents examiner who worked on the case from the FBI. Finally, he thanked those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Meridith McGarrity; Intelligence Analyst Sharon Johnson; Litigation Technology Specialists Jeanie Latimore-Brown and Leif Hickling; Victim Advocate Marcey Rinker; Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Zubrensky, who assisted with the investigation into the sexual assault, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Saybolt, who investigated and tried the murder case.